Fishin' Trip M7 ATF AU
by senorabutterfly
Summary: The boys have their usual adventure on a float fishing trip. Not mine, no profit made. Possible "no food or drink" warning... A/N Everything in here basically happened on various canoeing and fishing trips with hubby and friends. At least it wasn't all in the same day for us!


Fishin' Trip M7 ATF AU

"This is gonna be fun, boys! Just fishin' and floatin' on a beautiful summer day!" beamed Buck Wilmington as he helped unload the three canoes from the back of his and Chris' pickups.

Ezra Standish gave the ladies' man a somewhat sour glance.

"It will undoubtedly be fun for you Mr. Wilmington, since you are enamored with _all_ the nuances of catching fish. I, on the other hand, am not so fond of certain parts of the piscine activities involved in making a meal of our watery friends." The emerald gaze met the tall brunet's cobalt one. "In regards to which, please remember our deal. You clean any fish I catch, and I in return will make some of my great-aunt Trudy's special hushpuppies that you are so fond of."

Team Seven's explosives expert gave a wide smile of agreement.

"Will do, Ez. Those are some of the best hushpuppies I've ever eaten! Wish you'd give me the secret ingredients."

The undercover agent rolled his eyes theatrically.

"And give up my ace to get you to do the dirty work for me? I think not!"

Chuckling indulgently at the byplay, the other five helped get the canoes onto the gravel bar next to the water and piled the fishing gear, coolers, life vests, paddles, and other supplies beside them. Chris and Buck then moved the trucks to the parking area while the rest slid one end of the canoes into the lazily flowing river and began loading the stuff and securing what they could.

The expanse was wide, but not too terribly deep and tall bluffs towered above the clear water on the far side, trees and shrubs thick along the bank. The area was fairly deserted at the moment, though the spot was a favorite for many people on the weekends and the river could turn into the float trip equivalent of rush hour traffic at that time. The sky was an azure hue with a few white clouds drifting lazily overhead. It was warm enough that the men were wearing cut-off jeans and tee shirts with their sneakers, ball caps or wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses protecting their vision from the bright glare of the sunlight on the rippling water.

Buck and JD quickly stowed their stuff, so the ladies' man went to help Ezra situate his in the larger three-person craft that the gambler was sharing with Josiah and Nathan. Wilmington and Dunne had offered to take the bigger canoe and let Standish ride with them, but the chestnut –haired man had quickly declined the 'generous' suggestion, asking the medic and profiler if he could accompany them instead. To be honest, none of the others wanted to be a third with Buck and JD since the duo were boisterous and tended to attract… or make their own…trouble.

JD made sure the others were almost done, then slipped the canoe he and Buck were using into the river. Climbing in, he planned to wait for the taller brunet in the deeper area so that neither of them would have to push so much to get the loaded craft started. Buck was taller and could easily wade out, since it wouldn't be more than waist deep on him where the electronics tech planned to idle with the paddle in the water to keep him steady. He hadn't used canoes much, but was sure he could handle theirs until Buck joined him.

The rest finished and started pushing their canoes out into the deeper water as well. Buck was just moving to where JD was waiting for him when the kid raised his paddle to motion for Wilmington to hurry up.

When he did so, the small craft suddenly swung around in the water, the end Dunne was in swapping to the back, so that he was facing the opposite direction. Startled, the younger man was thrown off balance and instinctively he tried to catch himself on the side of the canoe. As Buck and the rest watched in fascination, it was as if the scene went to slow motion. JD's paddle went floating past him as the canoe tipped to the side, gear shifting precariously in the middle. Dunne gave a startled squawk, tried to correct, and instead overbalanced the whole thing, arms windmillling as he flew into the water and landed on his butt, the liquid about neck deep when he settled. Fishing poles sailed out to sink into the sandy bottom nearby, ends up as if they were planted there.

The others didn't have time to do anything, staring in bemusement at the kid's expression of surprise, when the canoe succumbed to gravity and plopped back onto the water. Unfortunately, it did so upside down, neatly settling over JD. There was an echoed yell, and the six who were standing in amazement suddenly came to life and ran to help, water splashing around them as they moved.

Buck and Nathan got there first, Nathan already calling for Josiah to get the med kit from their stuff. When Buck raised the canoe however, there sat JD with huge eyes, wet but perfectly unharmed except for a soon-to-be-bruised butt. Since all that was sticking out of the water was his head, the canoe had landed with the end on one side of the brunet and the front seat on the other, meaning that he was in the opening between and therefore unhurt.

Wilmington flipped the craft upright while Nathan moved to check on Dunne. Vin waded out to catch the paddle and a few other pieces of gear that were floating downstream while Chris pulled the poles out of the river bed and inspected them to make sure nothing was broken.

Buck straightened the stuff that was tied to the canoe and then went to make sure JD was alright. When Nathan nodded that the smaller figure was fine, the explosives tech started waving his hands.

"Jeeze Louise, Kid! Good thing it was shallow, or you'd a' scared a year off my life! What the hell happened?"

Jackson helped Dunne to his feet, checking for bruises to the younger man's chagrin.

"I don't know, Buck." answered JD as he tried to ignore the medic's roaming hands. "I got in it and was gonna wait for you. When I raised the paddle, it just went wild and swapped ends and then started tipping. I couldn't keep my balance and fell in. Do we have a defective canoe?"

Chris was eying the craft in question.

"Why were you sitting in the stern, JD? Buck steers and you're supposed to be the bowman and paddle…"

Dunne turned to the blond with a look of confusion.

"Stern? That's the back, right? There's a difference in canoes?"

Buck lowered his arms and shook his head, while Vin covered his face with his hand to hide the grin that curved up his lips. The rest diplomatically kept quiet, though Ezra did look a bit surprised as well.

Larabee stuck his tongue in his cheek for a second and then nodded in answer to JD's question.

"Yeah, there's a difference. The bow is narrower to cut through the water, while the stern is wider to provide stability when you turn. It still comes to a point, but the seat is much closer to the back than the bow one is to the front." Hazel eyes turned to Wilmington questioningly, though the lean form didn't say anything.

The ladies' man answered the unspoken query.

"Nah, I didn't think to mention it, Stud. I'm so used to us knowin' stuff like that, that I forgot he hasn't been in a canoe much."

JD threw up his hands, a bit miffed that the pair were talking about him as if he wasn't there.

"Well, you might wanna say that before a fella gets in the wrong end of the danged thing, Buck!"

The kid looked so livid that the rest lost their efforts to keep quiet and started chuckling, which only added to the youngest member's vexation.

Vin returned the things he'd gathered to the canoe, walking over to pat the smaller form on the shoulder as he passed.

"It's ok, JD. They do look a lot alike if ya don't know which is which. Now ya know to check before ya get in and you're not hurt, so it's all good."

"Maybe for you." groused the electronics whiz as he carefully made his way to the now benign-looking piece of aluminum. "You didn't just make a fool of yourself!"

Chris patted the kid on the back like the sniper had done as he waded to his own canoe.

"It's alright, JD. We don't think any less of you for not knowing. A lot of folks probably don't realize there's a difference."

Ezra spoke up then as he moved to climb into the third seat of the larger canoe.

"I must confess I certainly did not know that. I looked up some information, but that wasn't mentioned among the tips I read."

Josiah steadied the canoe as Standish got aboard and settled himself.

"Well, now we all know, so there was something good came out if it."

Buck chortled as he helped JD into the proper spot and then got in himself, making the kid squeak a bit when the canoe dipped once again as Wilmington climbed in.

"Besides the Kid's black and blue spots! He's gonna look purtier than a speckled pup!"

The group made sure they had everything and then moved into the swifter part of the river to Dunne's mumbled "Oh, shut up Buck!"

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The next hour or so was quite peaceful. The water was swift enough that they didn't even need to paddle much, but not so fast that it moved them too quickly to fish. They were all catching some perch and rock bass, the river not cold enough at that point for trout. The fish were put on stringers and trailed along behind, even Ezra proud of his contributions to the coming feast.

They were floating in a placid backwater area with tree roots along the bank that provided good hiding places for the fish, the only sounds the plop of hooks hitting the water and the buzz of dragonflies and other insects as they skittered just above the surface. Buck and JD were actually quiet at the moment as well, each concentrating on catching more fish than the other, which the gambler had used as the basis of a bet.

Josiah, Nathan, and Ezra were idling under a large overhanging limb, all of them getting bites, when something suddenly fell from the tree into their canoe. At first it looked like a smaller branch, but then the 'branch' started twisting and hissing. All three men's eyes got large and Nathan whispered "snake".

At the softly spoken word, Standish jerked his legs back from the writhing creature and repeated it at a much higher decibel.

"Snake!"

Josiah was in the back and he started to reach around the gambler with his paddle to toss the reptile out of the canoe, but hit Ezra instead as the smaller figure pulled his feet away from danger.

The blow pushed the undercover agent sideways, and since he already had momentum going for him from the jerking motion he'd made, he flew out of the canoe. Sanchez and Jackson watched in surprise as Standish fell over the side, his shoulders landing in the water first with a big splash. The surprise changed to consternation however when Ezra's legs caught on the edge of the canoe and it started tipping. There wasn't time to avert the disaster, so in just seconds both Nathan and Josiah were following the undercover agent into the river, accompanied by a very irate snake.

Chaos suddenly developed in the spot as the three men and the reptile tried to get away from each other and only succeeded in turning the canoe totally upside down. Josiah hit Nathan in the head with a flailing elbow as he swept the wriggling snake out from in front of him. Ezra was determined to get away from the loathsome creature and grabbed a trailing limb, trying desperately to climb the wrist-sized piece of wood. All that happened was that the leaves kept slapping him in the face and the water was washing over his designer sunglasses so that he was in danger of losing them as he simply thrashed in the roiling water, unable to gain purchase on the slim branch.

The snake somehow ended up around Jackson's neck when Sanchez gave it a fling, the medic letting out a roar of surprise that would have made a lion proud. Grabbing the dazed serpent by its tail, he tossed it toward the bank as his long legs propelled him toward the upside down canoe. Reaching the craft, he draped his arms over it to catch his breath, while Josiah came up beside him, eyes searching for the snake.

Just then Standish lost his grip on the tree limb and slid loose. The still sloshing water sent him toward the other two men, so he grabbed the ex-preacher's arm as he floated by, pulling himself to a stop. The action caused Josiah to lose his grip on the canoe however, so the men got pushed into Vin and Chris' craft with a solid 'thunk'.

Both tried to catch Sanchez and Standish, but when the pair grabbed at the edge of the canoe, it tipped to the side as well. Tanner went in with a splash, Larabee managing to keep the vessel upright by sliding off on the other side and levering his torso across the edge to help balance out the weight. Several cuss words colored the air, Buck and JD paddling over to retrieve the fishing poles and tackle boxes that were now floating on the rippled surface.

Frustrated, Chris started issuing orders.

"Buck, you and JD get the gear, then go help Ezra into your canoe. Standish… let them get you in and _don't _turn them over too! Vin, you and Josiah swim over and get their canoe upright. Nathan, I'll hold ours while you climb in. Tanner and Sanchez can bring yours over. Then we're all going to paddle to that sand bar at the next bend and get the hell out of here and dry out! Everybody got it?"

A chorus of affirmative answers met his question, then the men did as instructed.

Finally, about twenty minutes later, the three canoes pulled up on the sand bar and the bedraggled occupants carefully exited and stretched out in the sun to rest and recuperate.

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The group dried off a bit and then dug in the coolers that had been fastened to the canoes. Pulling out canned sodas, they made sure to hold them at arm's length since they had all been shaken in the various debacles. As expected, the drinks spewed and foamed, Vin and JD managing to get some on Ezra in spite of the gambler's best efforts to avoid them. Giving the duo a dirty look and heaving a resigned sigh, the well-built form pulled off his shirt and waded out to rinse it.

Trudging back, he took the cola Vin offered him in apology, then deliberately shook it again and let it splash all over the sniper. Gold gleamed in his smile as Tanner flipped him off and shed his own tee, simply throwing it in the canoe and sitting bare-chested in the sun.

They dug out snacks and ate while they were there, managing to keep any other mishaps to a minimum. The stringers had amazingly remained attached to the canoes during the previous upsets and the other food was in sealed plastic bags, so they would still have the ingredients for their fish supper when they reached the end of their trip.

After another half hour, they pushed the canoes out into the shallow part of the water and climbed back in, JD carefully inspecting his and Buck's to be sure he had the bow facing forward this time.

In just a short time, they reached a place where the river narrowed. Thick stands of trees grew along the banks and shaded the water, which was flowing rather lazily. There were deep holes next to the shore, so they were just letting the water move them as they cast their lines.

Ezra, however, wasn't used to throwing his amid so many drooping branches, so Southern-tinged diatribes were soon floating over the area as the undercover agent kept getting tangled in the limbs. He'd reel his line, pulling the canoe until he was close enough to unhook himself from the branches and leaves. Nathan and Josiah were looking everywhere but at each other to keep from laughing out loud, just going with the flow as their mode of transport traveled under Standish's influence.

"Look at that, boys! Josiah and Nate don't even have to paddle! Ol' Ez is pullin' 'em along just by snaggin' the limbs!" laughed Buck as he watched the spectacle.

Emerald eyes skewered the ladies' man, but the gambler was too busy detaching himself from his fifth tree to actually voice a comeback. By the time the others had added several fish to their collection, he had a number of red welts on his cheeks from being slashed by the brush and his hands were pricked and abraded from digging among the limbs to free his hook. When Nathan finally suggested that he just start cutting the line and put on new hooks and sinkers, the green gaze rolled in exasperation as the honeyed tones muttered "Why didn't I think of that?" It wasn't as if it would offend him if he ran out of tackle before they reached their destination. Buck chortled at the smaller figure's expression, reeling in a nice-sized bass as he did so.

Wilmington met his own misfortune around a couple more turns in the river however. He and JD had stopped paddling to fish a likely looking hole that angled under the left bank. Buck turned a little sideways so that he could drop a hook in a particularly good spot. He had just given a sigh of approval after sinking his line in the exact place he wanted, when something whizzed past his head.

He turned to see what it was, and when he did, felt a sharp sting in his right ear. The next thing he knew, his upper body was being pulled forward and the sting was now a definite pain. His hand flew to his face and encountered something metallic and wet.

Realizing what had happened, he yelled for JD to stop reeling in his line.

The kid however thought he had the biggest fish ever, so he was turning the handle for all he was worth, trying to land the large catch.

Chris saw what was happening and also called for JD to halt. Dunne heard his boss and turned to see what was going on. When he did, he jerked Buck off balance and the lanky form flopped out of the canoe into the water, screeching like a banshee until the scream turned into a wet gurgle when he hit the water.

Larabee jumped out of his canoe and quickly swam to his oldest friend, grabbing Dunne's line so that the kid couldn't wind it any tighter. Unfortunately when he did so, JD was just swiveling around to find out what Chris was doing. The firm grip on the line caused him to reflexively jerk backward, Buck letting out a yowl of pain at the action and Chris swearing as the string burned along his palm.

The blond jerked in return, the pole flying out of the electronics tech's hands. Dunne was still leaning backward and when he lost the only thing keeping him in balance, he flipped right over the front of the canoe and landed with a huge splash, knocking the paddle loose as he did so. The piece of wood came down and smacked him over the head, leaving a knot where it hit.

Buck was too grateful that the tugging sensation had at least stopped to care what the ruckus up front was about. Chris called for Vin to throw him the wire cutters out of his tackle box. The sniper did so, the blond catching them with one hand while he supported Wilmington with the other.

Larabee quickly cut the line before the pole could sink and either tear Buck's lobe or pull the brunet down with it. Josiah paddled over to retrieve the kid's property, while Nathan dug in his kit for a pair of forceps to remove the hook from Wilmington's ear.

Chris towed Buck to the bank, cutters in his teeth, the ladies' man helping with one arm. Blood streamed down his neck and wet his shirt, the fish hook looking like some macabre version of an earring as it dangled from the barb. The others followed, Jackson climbing out with forceps and peroxide already in hand.

Looking at the damage after they got Buck settled on the gravel bar, Nathan determined that Chris was going to have to cut the turned back part of the hook off so that they could get it out of Wilmington's ear. The tall brunet closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, hoping that the blonde wouldn't take part of his skin too. He wasn't sure the ladies would care for a man with a hunk of his ear missing, not to mention that it already hurt like a SOB!

Chris got the barb off without disfiguring his friend, and Nathan carefully removed the rest of the hook. Buck then yowled again when the medic doused the hole with a liberal amount of peroxide to wash out any impurities. Jackson did know that Wilmington was up to date on his tetanus shots however… he made sure all the men were, knowing how accident-prone they each were.

When the yelling and cussing died down, JD came up to apologize to his roommate. Buck lightly fingered his throbbing ear, but forgave the kid when Dunne started giving him the 'puppy dog' look.

They again rested for a bit, then gathered up their gear once more. Warily putting the canoes back into the water, Josiah quietly gave thanks that they were only a half hour or so from their destination.

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Arriving at the take out spot without any further major incidents, the group beached the canoes with a sigh of relief. The outfitter they'd hired to pick them up arrived on time, and they were soon back at the parking area where they'd started. They unloaded the canoes and turned them over to dry, cleaning off anything that had gotten wet or dirty during the eventful trip.

Moving over to a picnic area, Chris stared a fire while Vin pulled out the cooking supplies, including the deep pot and oil. Buck was feeling well enough to clean the fish, Ezra keeping his promise to the ladies' man as he mixed up a batch of his great-aunt Trudy's renowned hushpuppies, hiding the bowl with his back when he went to add the secret ingredients.

Chris cooked the fish when it was cleaned, filleted, and rolled in cornmeal, Standish handing the blond the hushpuppies when they were ready. Even Nathan liked his fish deep-fried, so they were all licking their lips by the time Larabee scooped out the last of the filets and seasoned cornmeal balls. Vin burned his tongue biting into a hushpuppy before it had cooled, and JD managed to get a bone stuck in his teeth when he grabbed one of the smaller perch that wasn't big enough to cut up.

Josiah fixed beans with bacon and Nathan sliced onions to go with their food, the group settling at the provided picnic table when everything was ready.

They enjoyed their meal, Chris shaking his head as he took in the way JD was sitting gingerly on his sore butt, the careful way Nathan was eating as he fingered the bruise from Josiah's elbow, and Buck's mangled ear that managed to look like raw meat in the firelight. Vin kept sticking out his burned tongue in between bites to try to cool it off, Ezra was eating with one eye on their surroundings to make sure no more snakes surprised him, and Josiah occasionally rubbed his ribs where they had smacked into Chris and Vin's canoe.

Larabee sighed. He could just hear the judge…

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Next morning…

Travis eyed the seven men who were settling into his office for a brief meeting. Dunne borrowed one of the couch cushions to sit on and if the AD wasn't mistaken there was a knot on the electronics tech's forehead as well. Even with Jackson's dark skin, it was obvious that there was a bruise on his cheekbone. Wilmington's ear looked like he'd had a bad piercing job, and Standish appeared to have been on the losing end of a fight with the welts on his face and his scratched hands. Tanner kept making weird faces as he moved his tongue around, and Sanchez gingerly held his side when he sat down. Even Larabee had a long, thin red mark across the palm of one hand when he folded it carefully in his lap after sitting.

Looking the team over, the judge had to ask.

"Chris… what the hell happened?"

The blonde sucked on his teeth for a second and then answered succinctly.

"Fishing trip!"

By DMA


End file.
